Egozi’s Fury

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

This morning we’ve heard the phrase “round of firing” from Gaza, with a “measured” response.

It’s easy to talk about what’s happening on the Gaza border if you’re living in Tel Aviv, but those who live in the area never understand what the people in the TV studios are talking about. How many more rounds of fire will there be? Why does the Israeli response has to be measured, or even take into account whether it’s the month of Ramadan or not?

People forgot how to think clearly. They need to be sent out to Sderot or Ashkelon, maybe then words like “measured” and “round of fire” will vanish from official government statements.

“Measured” Israeli responses don’t cut it anymore. What does a normal country do when it really wants to defend its citizens, including those living in the south? Responds, and not with a measured response – or, more accurately, with a “generously measured” response. That hasn’t happened in Israel for a while now, because Israel is afraid of the U.S. and Europe. As if anyone there cares what happens to the Hamas militants in Gaza, but Israel is always afraid Washington or Brussels might scold it.

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The European Union achieves new heights of hypocrisy and detachment every week. The EU once again criticized the kidnapping of the three Israeli youths over the weekend, and called for their immediate and safe return to their families. According to the EU statement Israel should use proportional force in its efforts to release the kidnapped boys. It also criticized the rocket fire from Gaza and urged both sides to show restraint.

According to the EU these actions only harm the efforts of the international community to renew the peace talks. Europe also lauded Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas for his strong criticism of the kidnapping and his cooperation with Israel in the matter. The EU criticized the Hamas statements lauding the kidnapping, referring to them as “unacceptable.” The EU statements mention the fact that these recent events highlight the urgent need to renew the peace talks.

So much hypocrisy in one message, a complete lack of understanding. Who are they to decide that Mahmoud Abbas is the “good guy” in this story? Empty words, as usual.

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According to reports published yesterday the police finally found a solution to its call centers problem. One center will deal with “emergency” calls, with the other focusing on “routine” calls. Did you hear that? What exactly is a “routine” call to the police? Ordering pizza?

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

The problem, as it turns out, isn’t limited to the police. Last week the MDA [Israeli emergency medical service] call center failed in a similar way. A young woman trapped in a burning apartment called the MDA asking for help. If the call wasn’t being recorded you wouldn’t believe it actually took place. The woman died a short while after being evacuated.

The problem is simple and so is the solution. Don’t man emergency call centers with young, inexperienced girls carrying out their military service in the police. That’s skewed. In the rest of the Western world experienced officers man emergency call centers, their experience allowing them to discern true emergencies.

In Israel, though, they’re looking for magic solutions that only make matters worse.

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The mindset of Israel’s government is difficult to understand. Up until a few months ago it seemed that Air Force jets were ready to lift off at a moment’s notice and annihilate the Iranian nuclear program. Iranian diplomacy, however, while at first affecting only the rest of the “stupid” world, is now affecting Israel as well.

Otherwise the Minister of Strategic Affair Yuval Steinitz’ trip to Europe, leading a delegation of representatives from the National Security Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mossad and the IDF’s Intelligence Branch cannot be understood. The delegation will meet the American team leading the talks with Iran. Steinitz will also meet with British Foreign Minister William Hague, after discussing the issue with him for a long while now.

Pay attention – the most significant change ahead of this crucial round of talks is the abandonment of the non-compromising approach for a softer one, in a number of critical issues. The first and most critical clause is agreeing to let Iran “symbolically” keep 200-300 centrifuges.

Hear that? Here, too, people have lost their minds. Faced with the massive Iranian fraud Israel suddenly tries to compromise, and if someone thinks it’s a ploy – it’s not. Israel simply softened its approach along with the rest of the world, that doesn’t want to deal with a nuclear Iran. So Tehran can breathe easy now. Even Israel compromises, leaving it free to operate many more centrifuges. The Iranian nuclear bomb is approaching, and there’s no one left to even slow it down.

This change leaves the impression that the entire media buzz over the issue – making us believe that Israel was just about ready to attack Iran – was only meant to promote certain government interests and nothing more.